The aortic dissection is an acute aortic syndrome, caused by an intimal tear and subsequent splitting of the media by the pulsatile blood flow. Though there would be differences in the origin of aortic dissection and therapeutic modalities, the intermediate and long-term prognoses are poor. Endovascular Stent-graft implantation is a revolutionary technique in the treatment of aortic dissection. The endovascular stent grafting in aortic dissection is less invasive and feasible method and is an effective tool for closing the entry site and promoting clot formation, reducing the size of the false lumen. Therefore, endovascular Stent-graft implantation makes possible the desirable remodelling of aorta. We report 33 year-old male with aortic dissection in the thoracic aorta, which was treated with endovascular Stent-graft implantation. Over the favorable remodelling, his dissection was healed completely by the endovascular treatment using Stent-graft.
Adult ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Humans ; Male ; Prognosis

Intramural hematoma(IMH) and penetrating aortic ulcer have been increasingly recognized as causes of acute aortic pathology in addition to aortic dissection. The presence of the intimal tear and a flap traversing the aortic lumen is considered to be a most reliable differential point of aortic dissection and IMH. Transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) has become a valuable modality for the diagnosis, prognosis and management of acute aortic syndrome with the unique advantages of portability and the ability to obtain high-resolution real time images. Endovascular Stent-graft placement over the primary entry tear may be an alternative to open surgery because it can close the intimal tear, which leads to thrombosis of the false lumen, excluding flow through the intimal tear and redirecting aortic flow exclusively into the true lumen. We report 88 year-old male with aortic dissection in descending thoracic aorta, successfully treated with endovascular Stent-graft implantation, which was mimicking intramural hematoma by its appearance and subclinical intimal tear diagnosed exclusively by TEE against other imaging studies.
Aged, 80 and over ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Diagnosis ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Male ; Pathology ; Prognosis ; Thrombosis ; Ulcer

Kawasaki disease is an acute febrile illness frequently developed in infants and children. This disease may involve coronary arteries in 15- 25% of the patients and may progress to coronary aneurysms, ischemic cardiac diseases, and sudden cardiac death. Recently we experienced successful balloon angioplasty followed by coronary stenting in a 15-year old boy with unstable angina and severe coronary arterial occlusive disease secondary to Kawasaki disease. He was diagnosed as unstable angina by 24 hours Holter monitoring, treadmill exercise stress test, echocardiography, and Dipyridamole 99mTc-sestamibi scan. And coronary angiogram revealed severe multiple stenosis and aneurysmal changes due to Kawasaki disease. We successfully performed a percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with stent implantation at left circumflex arterial occlusive lesion.
Adolescent ; Aneurysm ; Angina, Unstable ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Arterial Occlusive Diseases ; Child ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Aneurysm ; Coronary Stenosis* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Dipyridamole ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ; Exercise Test ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Infant ; Male* ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Stents* ; Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi

BACKGROUND: Many recent results of clinical trials show that pre-operative concurrent chemoradiotherapy and surgical resection could increase the survival of N2 positive stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. This study was performed to assess the feasibility, toxicity, and affect rates of concurrent chemoradiotherapy and surgical resection in N2 positive stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Thirty-one patients who underwent preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy for N2 positive stage IIIA non-small-cell lung cancer from May 1997 to April 1999 were entered into the study. Mean age was 61 yrs (43-70 yrs), There were 24 men and 7 women. The confirmation of N2 disease were achieved through mediastinoscopic biopsy (24) and CT scans (7). Induction was achieved by two cycles of cisplatin and etoposide(EP) plus concurrent chest radiotherapy to 45 Gy. Resections were done at 3 weeks after the complection of preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Resections were performed in 23 patients, excluding 5 refusals and 3 distant metastasis. All patients were compled the thoracic radiotherapy except one who had distant metastasis. Twenty three patients were completed the planned 2 cycles of EP chemotherapy, and 8 patients were received only 1 cycle for severe side effects (6), refusal (1), and distant metastasis(1). There was one postoperative mortality, and the cause of death was ARDS. Three patients who had neutropenic fever and one patient who had radiation pneumonitis were required admission and treatment. Esophagitis was the most common acute side effect, but relatively well-tolerated in most patients. The complection rate of concurrent chemoradiotherapy was 74%, resection rate was 71%, pathologic complete remission rate was 13.6%, and pathologic down-staging rate was 68%. CONCLUSION: Morbidity related to each treatment was acceptable and many of the patients have benefited down staging of its disease. Further prospective, preferably randomized, clinical trials of larger scale may be warranted to confirm the actual benefit of preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy and surgical resection in N2-positive stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Cause of Death ; Chemoradiotherapy* ; Cisplatin ; Disulfiram ; Drug Therapy ; Esophagitis ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Male ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiation Pneumonitis ; Radiotherapy ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Purpose: Infertility affects 10% to 15% of couples, and male factor accounts for 50% of the cases. The relevant male genetic factors, which account for at least 15% of male infertility, include Y-chromosome microdeletions. We investigated clinical data and patterns of Y-chromosome microdeletions in Korean infertile men. Materials and Methods: A total of 919 infertile men whose sperm concentration was ≤5 million/mL in two consecutive analyses were investigated for Y-chromosome microdeletion. Among them, 130 infertile men (14.1%) demonstrated Y-chromosome microdeletions. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Results: In 130 men with Y-chromosome microdeletions, 90 (69.2%) had azoospermia and 40 (30.8%) had severe oligozoospermia.The most frequent microdeletions were in the azoospermia factor (AZF) c region (77/130, 59.2%), followed by the AZFb+c (30/130, 23.1%), AZFa (8/130, 6.2%), AZFb (7/130, 5.4%), AZFa+b+c (7/130, 5.4%), and AZFa+c (1/130, 0.7%) regions. In men with oligozoospermia, 37 (92.5%) had AZFc microdeletion. Chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 30 patients (23.1%). Higher follicle-stimulating hormone level (23.2±13.5 IU/L vs. 15.1±9.0 IU/L, p<0.001), higher luteinizing hormone level (9.7±4.6 IU/L vs. 6.0±2.2 IU/L, p<0.001), and lower testis volume (10.6±4.8 mL vs. 13.3±3.8 mL, p<0.001) were observed in azoospermia patients compared to severe oligozoospermia patients. Conclusions Y-chromosome microdeletion is a common genetic cause of male infertility. Therefore, Y-chromosome microdeletion test is recommended for the accurate diagnosis of men with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia. Appropriate genet

Purpose: Infertility affects 10% to 15% of couples, and male factor accounts for 50% of the cases. The relevant male genetic factors, which account for at least 15% of male infertility, include Y-chromosome microdeletions. We investigated clinical data and patterns of Y-chromosome microdeletions in Korean infertile men. Materials and Methods: A total of 919 infertile men whose sperm concentration was ≤5 million/mL in two consecutive analyses were investigated for Y-chromosome microdeletion. Among them, 130 infertile men (14.1%) demonstrated Y-chromosome microdeletions. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Results: In 130 men with Y-chromosome microdeletions, 90 (69.2%) had azoospermia and 40 (30.8%) had severe oligozoospermia.The most frequent microdeletions were in the azoospermia factor (AZF) c region (77/130, 59.2%), followed by the AZFb+c (30/130, 23.1%), AZFa (8/130, 6.2%), AZFb (7/130, 5.4%), AZFa+b+c (7/130, 5.4%), and AZFa+c (1/130, 0.7%) regions. In men with oligozoospermia, 37 (92.5%) had AZFc microdeletion. Chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 30 patients (23.1%). Higher follicle-stimulating hormone level (23.2±13.5 IU/L vs. 15.1±9.0 IU/L, p<0.001), higher luteinizing hormone level (9.7±4.6 IU/L vs. 6.0±2.2 IU/L, p<0.001), and lower testis volume (10.6±4.8 mL vs. 13.3±3.8 mL, p<0.001) were observed in azoospermia patients compared to severe oligozoospermia patients. Conclusions Y-chromosome microdeletion is a common genetic cause of male infertility. Therefore, Y-chromosome microdeletion test is recommended for the accurate diagnosis of men with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia. Appropriate genet

Purpose: Infertility affects 10% to 15% of couples, and male factor accounts for 50% of the cases. The relevant male genetic factors, which account for at least 15% of male infertility, include Y-chromosome microdeletions. We investigated clinical data and patterns of Y-chromosome microdeletions in Korean infertile men. Materials and Methods: A total of 919 infertile men whose sperm concentration was ≤5 million/mL in two consecutive analyses were investigated for Y-chromosome microdeletion. Among them, 130 infertile men (14.1%) demonstrated Y-chromosome microdeletions. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Results: In 130 men with Y-chromosome microdeletions, 90 (69.2%) had azoospermia and 40 (30.8%) had severe oligozoospermia.The most frequent microdeletions were in the azoospermia factor (AZF) c region (77/130, 59.2%), followed by the AZFb+c (30/130, 23.1%), AZFa (8/130, 6.2%), AZFb (7/130, 5.4%), AZFa+b+c (7/130, 5.4%), and AZFa+c (1/130, 0.7%) regions. In men with oligozoospermia, 37 (92.5%) had AZFc microdeletion. Chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 30 patients (23.1%). Higher follicle-stimulating hormone level (23.2±13.5 IU/L vs. 15.1±9.0 IU/L, p<0.001), higher luteinizing hormone level (9.7±4.6 IU/L vs. 6.0±2.2 IU/L, p<0.001), and lower testis volume (10.6±4.8 mL vs. 13.3±3.8 mL, p<0.001) were observed in azoospermia patients compared to severe oligozoospermia patients. Conclusions Y-chromosome microdeletion is a common genetic cause of male infertility. Therefore, Y-chromosome microdeletion test is recommended for the accurate diagnosis of men with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia. Appropriate genet

Purpose: Infertility affects 10% to 15% of couples, and male factor accounts for 50% of the cases. The relevant male genetic factors, which account for at least 15% of male infertility, include Y-chromosome microdeletions. We investigated clinical data and patterns of Y-chromosome microdeletions in Korean infertile men. Materials and Methods: A total of 919 infertile men whose sperm concentration was ≤5 million/mL in two consecutive analyses were investigated for Y-chromosome microdeletion. Among them, 130 infertile men (14.1%) demonstrated Y-chromosome microdeletions. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed. Results: In 130 men with Y-chromosome microdeletions, 90 (69.2%) had azoospermia and 40 (30.8%) had severe oligozoospermia.The most frequent microdeletions were in the azoospermia factor (AZF) c region (77/130, 59.2%), followed by the AZFb+c (30/130, 23.1%), AZFa (8/130, 6.2%), AZFb (7/130, 5.4%), AZFa+b+c (7/130, 5.4%), and AZFa+c (1/130, 0.7%) regions. In men with oligozoospermia, 37 (92.5%) had AZFc microdeletion. Chromosomal abnormalities were detected in 30 patients (23.1%). Higher follicle-stimulating hormone level (23.2±13.5 IU/L vs. 15.1±9.0 IU/L, p<0.001), higher luteinizing hormone level (9.7±4.6 IU/L vs. 6.0±2.2 IU/L, p<0.001), and lower testis volume (10.6±4.8 mL vs. 13.3±3.8 mL, p<0.001) were observed in azoospermia patients compared to severe oligozoospermia patients. Conclusions Y-chromosome microdeletion is a common genetic cause of male infertility. Therefore, Y-chromosome microdeletion test is recommended for the accurate diagnosis of men with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia. Appropriate genet

No abstract available.
Renal Insufficiency*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Slow flow or no-reflow during the primary angioplasty is associated with a poor prognosis. The impact of adjuvant balloon inflation on infarct artery flow after successful primary stenting has not yet been studied. Therefore, we investigated the effect of adjuvant balloon inflation on infarct related artery flow after successful stenting in patients with acute myocardial infarction. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The changes in infarct artery flow before and after adjuvant balloon inflation were assessed in 46 patients with a first episode of acute myocardial infarction (pain duration > 12 hr) who underwent adjuvant balloon inflation after successful primary stenting. Infarct artery flow was evaluated by corrected TIMI frame count (CTFC). RESULTS: After adjuvant balloon inflation, 20 patients (43%) showed a slower flow. The minimal lumen diameter became greater (3.0 > 0.5 mm vs. 3.2 > 0.5 mm, p=0.002) and the residual stenosis lessened (12.2 > 9.6% vs. 6.4 > 8.1%, p<0.001). There was no change in reference vessel diameter. CTFC was significantly increased after adjuvant balloon inflation (21.6 > 11.5 frames vs. 26.9 > 20.5 frames, p=0.005). On multivariate analysis, only pre-adjuvant balloon CTFC was a predictor of a slower flow after adjuvant balloon inflation (odds ratio 1.148, 95% CI:1.014-1.301). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant balloon inflation after successful primary stenting reduced residual stenosis but deteriorated the infarct artery flow. Further studies are required to define the clinical impact of the positive and negative effects of adjuvant balloon inflation.
Angioplasty ; Arteries* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Circulation ; Humans ; Inflation, Economic* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prognosis ; Stents*